Four bridges in the newly established Thu Duc City are either in limbo for several years or have been suspended following site clearance failures.  

Construction of the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge spanning the Saigon River to link District 1 with District 2 (now part of Thu Duc City) started in 2015. The 1.4 kilometers long, six lane bridge would connect with the Thu Thiem New Urban Area.

Being built at a cost of nearly VND3.1 trillion ($134.9 million), the project was originally scheduled for completing in 2018. As of last year, work on the project was 70 percent complete but construction on certain sections in District 1 continues to face delays since some of the required land belongs to the Ministry of National Defense.

The cable-stayed bridge, with its main tower rising 113 meters and leaning towards Thu Thiem, is supposed to become an architectural highlight on the river with an artistic lighting design. Once complete, it will help connect the downtown HCMC with the Thu Thiem New Urban Area and ease traffic congestion at the intersections of Ton Duc Thang-Nguyen Huu Canh streets and Ton Duc Thang-Le Thanh Ton streets in District 1.

However, aside from the land clearance roadblock, the project has also faced issues in verifying both project volume and value with investor Dai Quang Minh Real Estate Investment JSC. For now, related agencies and departments are negotiating the issues with the investor, as directed by the Department of Transport last month.

The bridge as seen from Ton Duc Thang Street in District 1. Work resumed on Thursday on the bridge after city authorities worked with Dai Quang Minh and others to tackle all issues so that the project can be completed in 2023.

In 2016, work began on the Nam Ly Bridge on Do Xuan Hop Street at the cost of VND857 billion. It was to replace an old one that had degraded and was too small to meet rising traffic demand. The 450m long, 20m wide bridge over the Rach Chiec Canal was to be completed in 2018, but in 2019, just 39 percent of the work had been done. The project has been put on hold since, awaiting site clearance.

Building materials rust on the half-finished bridge.

Wild plants grow around barriers set at the foot of a bridge span. Locals have begun using them to advertise various products and services.

Some areas beneath the unfinished bridge resemble landfills.

Delays in compensating affected households have been a main roadblock to site clearance for the rest of the project. This, in turn, has happened because the HCMC Department of Natural Resources and the city administration are yet to approve the compensation costs. Thu Duc City has proposed that higher authorities approve the compensation soon, promising that once it is done, the new city-within-city will finish the site clearance within six months.

Six kilometers from Nam Ly, the Tang Long Bridge on La Xuan Oai Street is another one that has been languishing after work began in 2017. The 680 meters long bridge over the Trau Trau Canal is meant to replace an old, downgraded one nearby.

The VND450 billion bridge was to be completed in 2019, but so far, only around 30 percent of the work has been done, site clearance proving to be the stumbling block, yet again.

One issue with this project is related to adjustments in the geological border made by erstwhile District 9 authorities. Now, the project’s management board has said that if Thu Duc City continues the job that District 9 had begun and clears the site soon, the bridge can be completed in 12 months.

Work on the Long Dai Bridge across the Tac River, a tributary of the Dong Nai River, began in March 2017. Built at a cost of VND353 billion, it was to be completed in two years. But two years after the original deadline, the bridge is far from completion with around 50 percent of the work remaining unfinished. Construction work on the bridge stopped in December, 2018.

The delay in site clearance has been blamed on disagreements over the compensation.

Thu Duc City was established at the beginning of this year by merging three eastern districts - 2, 9 and Thu Duc. Spread across 211 square kilometers, it houses more than a million people and is expected to contribute 30 percent of the city’s economic growth and 7 percent of the nation's per year.

The city is also expected to function as an innovative urban area, encompassing the hi-tech park in District 9, the university precinct in Thu Duc District, and the new urban area and financial center on Thu Thiem Peninsula in District 2, furthering HCMC’s ambitions of becoming a smart city.